


Children of the Days

by HikikomoriNoAria



Series: A Fairytale of Sorts [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bathing/Washing, Eren is a sort of a fae or an angel, Fluff, I'm making up creatures here, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, Short Story, or something
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-23 23:50:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8347651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HikikomoriNoAria/pseuds/HikikomoriNoAria
Summary: Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there live a night dweller as old as the world itself. He was unchallenged and he found his eternity to be boring nowadays. All creature feared him and he had no friends or anyone he can even talk with.
One day, just before the dawn, he met that one person he could likely ask for companion however short their time together can be.
He felt joy. Joy that he would not ever let go even if it could cost his existence.





	1. The Song of The Children of Sun

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it :)
> 
> I'm planning on making a series of fairy tale with Levi and Eren as the characters. Just short ones, cause I suck.  
> This one already has the next chapter, I just felt it fits better if I made it into a 2 chapter story.
> 
> Enjoy! And let me know what you think

It was like the sound of tinkling bells

Soft, chiming with the wind

It sounded bittersweet, if you can call a sound that

He almost resented the roaring sound of water from where the beautiful sound came from

 

_By the river bed then, right down at the waterfall_

He thought

 

Despite everything, he couldn’t help but coming closer to the song.

 

_As sun raises so does story goes_

_O travelers have you come but forgo_

_As we hurt then we hurt_

_Allow me my prayers as darkness embraces me still_

_O travelers but I am to be forgone_

_I am but a memory in the lights_

Levi had dwelled in this forest for thousands of seasonal cycle, from a time when his kin was still far and few in between. He has changed from many forms. From gas to solid and back. Though, the current persona is his real person, or shape, or whatever. He didn’t really care.

Back to the problem at hand, someone unknown was in his territory without his permission. Despite the beautiful voice coming from him, or it, if it’s a creature, the aura he left all over the forest should have driven away anyone or anything from entering his forest, to his bafflement, without him noticing. And it was almost morning too, the sun just shy from the horizon. No matter how strong he was, he would never be able to defeat the sun, another existence of creator, much like his own creator.

 

Various thoughts flitted in his mind as he came closer to the waterfall. The loud sound of rushing water masked the crunch of dried leaves and twigs under his feet as he came nearer. The dense foliage that had been hiding him started clearing as the waterfall and the river came to his view. It was still darkness, just a little bit of light in the sky, instead of just pitch black, dark blue and purple swirled above, warning him of the soon arising sun. He really needed to deal with this intruder fast.

 

Despite the density of the shadow and darkness in the forest, Levi could see clearly the being seated on a half-submerged river stone. Their back was to him. They, now that he knew it was humanoid but gender still unclear. They appeared to be bathing.  What kind of a human would bath in a river by the waterfall of frigid water at barely the crack of dawn in the cold months?

 

 _What the fuck_? Levi thought

 

The intruder ceased their lyrical singing and changed to humming the tune instead. Their whole being seemed to be emanating light themselves, making Levi saw them more clearly.

Long soft-looking chestnut colored hair, covering the upper half of the person’s back while their waist down left uncovered, offering Levi unobstructed view of luscious view of caramel skin stretched to smooth thighs and delicate arms that were cradling their hair now. Seemingly petting them to obedience then moved to drape them on their left shoulder, granting Levi the view of smooth expanse of their back and nape.

 

Levi felt his mouth water.

 

The intruder scoped some water that surrounded the stone they were sitting on and poured over their exposed shoulder, pleased sigh could be heard to Levi’s current distance. They repeated the movement several more times, before changing side, draping the long hair to the right shoulder next. Levi felt like he should offer one of the dried bands of elastic roots in his pouch to them so that they could just tie their hair instead.

After washing their upper body, the intruder shifted slowly straightening their legs to touch their toes to the water and slowly came down into the water. When their lower half was submerged in the water, they started singing their song.

_As sun raises so does story goes_

_O travelers have you come but forgo_

_As we hurt then we hurt_

_Allow me my prayers as darkness embraces me still_

_O travelers but I am to be forgone_

_I am but a memory in the lights_

 

The song sounded familiar, not familiar that he had heard often or even somewhere, just that he felt he somehow knew that song…

 

Unaware of the steadily lightening sky Levi kept getting closer until he was almost out of the tree line and into the clearing. Just as he was about to enter the clearing, a sunlight pierced through the forest canopy, startled him back and in turn announcing his presence to the bathing intruder. _He_ turned around in the river just at the exact moment before Levi melt into his surrounding, catching his eyes.

 

And what a beautiful, beautiful vibrant deep green eyes it was. In only that instance their eyes met, Levi saw flecks of gold like stars in those see of stunning green.

 

Levi now knew who that intruder was.

 

For the first time in his life, he saw a child of the sun.


	2. A Sign of Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi came out too shy but well...
> 
> And I find that leaving it all in chapter 2 is horribly unbalanced so I split it again, into 3 chapter  
> (it was actually because i haven't edited the rest yet :p)
> 
> anyway, Enjoy!
> 
> update update: Since it's weekdays and work obviously got in my way (even when i'm asleep -_-), the last chapter will be updated on saturday, sorry~

_HE WAS SEEN!!!_

Eren froze in the water. He felt so stupid for letting his guard down. This particular area had been appealing to him for a long time. Now the one time he actually come down to dip into the enticing body of water, he was seen. And by a night dweller no less, a very powerful one at that, from dense the aura he left behind. How he had missed it until now, he had no idea.

Eren had heard all sorts of stories about night dwellers over time. How much of it was true he will never know. Those stories were passed down stories from his older kin and ones he heard from birds and creatures strong enough to fly to his dwelling above the clouds. They said that night dwellers are terrifying by nature. They are creature of darkness, made and existed in the black of the night. They can adopt any form, from blobs of shadow to dragons or beast or even human. It said that they feed on human too. But some also said they feed _like_ human, hunting rabbits, birds, deer, and all sorts of other animal. Some even said that their favorite food is the children of the sun. Creatures like him.

 

A shudder went through him at how close to his demise he was if that were true. He dived into the water fully, now that the sun has risen and lights filter throughout the forest and the clearing he was in. He was the safest and had most energy in the mornings and noon. Hardly any creature could hurt him now, at this time, not even the night dwellers. Much like he won’t survive the darkness of a night time, a night dweller will not survive day time.

He seemed harmless though. The night dweller looked rather startled even, when their eyes met for the briefest moment. Eren couldn’t saw him too clearly, there were some sort of black mist surrounding the night dweller but he didn’t appear too terrifying.

And he has gorgeous grey eyes. Lovely pair of grey that glinted like silver.

 

Breaking the water surface, Eren combed back his wet hair, exposing himself fully to the biting cold of the air. He would have frozen to death if he was a human, but he was a child of the sun so it didn’t really affect him. He tracked back to the half-submerged boulder he was sat and picked himself up to its dry surface easily. He sat back on the boulder, legs stretched in front of him and he placed his arms behind him, supporting his weight, and then he closed his eyes.

Sunlight gathered and gravitated towards him, this was his gift from the sun, and warm serene presence of the sun in sunlight was his favorite. He enjoyed its caress to his skin. Revitalizing him. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could survive without its presence.

 

His thought drifted back to the night dweller from before

 

What, then, a creature like night dweller will enjoy?

***

 

Dusk was fast approaching… with the fading of sunlight, his presence grew stronger. Materializing his body is easy feat now. Slowly, like being revealed from behind a shroud, his form emerged from the top of his head to his waist, it wasn’t quite night time yet, so he couldn’t really do anything about his lower half, it’s still being black vague glob. Levi wrinkled his nose in disgust.

 

He sometimes hated his being. No matter what form he took, in the end, he will always be this, vague black globs. Black. Ugly. Disgusting. Terrifying. Nothing could get closer to him, the older he gets, and the more he is avoided. The uglier he become, the more terrifying he was towards other.

 

That child of the sun was the complete opposite of him, in its truest sense of the word. He was bright, beautiful, seemingly emanating an aura of grace. His eyes that he found as the most striking feature of the child of the sun seemed to hold an entire universe in itself.

 

Lovely, so very lovely, Levi couldn’t help but yearn to see them again.

 

He gravitated towards the clearing once more because of that yearning. The slowly diminishing sunlight also helped his obsession. Somewhere along the way, he had convinced himself to come to the river bed, see if he could find that child of the sun or if not, he would wait until dawn in case he came back at dawn.

Levi tried not to hope too much, he knew his reputation to the creatures in the forest and was sure the child of the sun also heard some of it. Still, he hoped.

 

The soft sound of water splashing pulled him out of his musing. It differed from the rushing sound of the river and the roaring of the waterfall. He made haste, hope that he didn’t dare to admit filling his heart.

 

Something lifting filled Levi when he finally arrived at the clearing, something pleasant and warm that he felt spreading through his entire being as his gaze fell to the tanned figure tens of yards in front of him. He wore gown in various shades of green, fitted to him with straps and belt made by golden threads. Some sort of leafy tiara on top of his head, pulling some of his hair back and made his pointed ears seen.

 

It was the child of the sun that he saw at dawn. He hadn’t left.

Levi couldn’t quite understand what he was feeling at the sight of the child of the sun playing in the water with possibly some fish by the river bed. Occasional water spurt would shoot out from the water, and then he would giggle before splashing water in seemingly random direction into the river. Wet strands with glistening droplets of water framed his face in delicate curves, reflecting the colorful burn of the sky at dusk, a fusion of color in purple, pink, red, and orange hues.

 

He was beautiful, so very beautiful Levi felt that he ached at the sight of him. He felt that he would be content to watch this being forever from the shadowy part of the forest, where the sunlight won’t reach him.

 

“You don’t seem as scary as they said from how you keep to the shadow right now” a soft voice like a tinkle of bell called.

Levi was startled again.

 

For something deemed as terrifying, he got scared too easily, Levi concluded.

 

He couldn’t quite believe it but he hadn’t heard wrong. The voice came from the child of the sun by the river bed.

 

Still, he hesitated.

 ***

 

Eren waited for the night dweller to come closer to him, sunlight had retreated to make way for the night so he should be safe coming closer to Eren. He hoped the night dweller would hurry, because from the looks of it, he only had a few more minutes before he really have to go.

The night dweller seemed to be hesitating, Eren frowned. He turned to face to the direction of the night dweller, hidden behind a rather tall bush. His aura not quite hidden, hence Eren noticed him now that he wasn’t so distracted.

 

“Are you not afraid?” Finally he asked. Deep baritone voice sounded still from the distance.

 

 _Such a lovely timbre_ , Eren thought

 

“As I have said, you don’t seem as scary” Answered Eren.

 

Eren thought he heard some grumble but he ignored it in favor of watching the night dweller finally come to view. He walked slowly towards Eren, not quite wary, rather like he was being extra careful not to spook Eren by moving too fast. Finally, the night dweller sat, in what seemed to be cross-legged position just a few feet from him.

 

He was in the form of a beautiful man with black hair, cut short and even shorter at the back of his head. High cheekbones and angular face, white porcelain skin so delicate lining a body packed with lines of muscle. His face was set in a mild frown. Not smiling but not quite glaring either. Despite it being the cold months, he wasn’t wearing any clothing, just his lower half covered by black mist.

 

“This is my first time seeing a night dweller,” Eren said. Opening the conversation again.

“As it is my first time seeing a child of the sun… will you be okay? The sun is going down soon.”

 

Eren blinked. Not quite expecting such concern. He felt his face broke into a smile, first at the kind words then at the awed expression that crossed the night dweller’s face before it disappeared.

 

“I won’t be but I chanced the possibility of meeting you again. Looks like I was true, you came again”

He seemed stunned for a beat but immediately moved to rummage in the pouch by his left hip, pulled a couple of wide ring made from what seemed to be roots. He offered them slowly to Eren.

“These are… bands… they are elastic, you can use them to tie up your hair, when you feel like bathing here again”

 

_A gift! A gift from a night dweller!_

 

Eren took the offered gift and brought them close to his chest, clutched in his hands. It was precious. Eren smiled again at the night dweller.

 

“Thank you, you are very kind”

The night dweller simply shrugged his shoulder.

“Will I be seeing you again at dawn?” Eren asked.

“You want to see me again?” The night dweller asked, a little taken aback

Eren let out a carefree laugh at the inquiry

“Of course, I have found that night dwellers are not as scary as the rumor I have heard, well, at least you aren’t, I’d like if you can keep me company,”

 

Eren felt like he witnessed a miracle at that moment. The lines of the night dweller’s face smoothed and corner of the night dweller’s mouth lifted up ever so slightly.

“I’d like that as well,” he said.

Momentarily stunned, Eren was startled back by a sudden chill filing his bones. The sun was setting quickly now.

As though he could sense Eren’s unease, the night dweller abruptly stood and took a few step back.

“You need to leave, now”

“Yes, I will. I will see you at dawn,”

“Yes… See you at dawn.” He said.

 

And just like that, Eren was back in the comfort of his home, above the clouds, sunlight was still in abundance, and even if the dark comes, in the safety of his home, Eren wouldn’t melt into the dark.

 

It was too bad that his new friend was a night dweller; Eren hoped he could show him the view from his home, sunrise above the cloud is breathtaking.

 

Eren opened his clenched fist and revealed the bands of roots the night dweller gifted him, he caressed them adoringly, a giddy smile on his face.

 

He couldn’t wait for dawn to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things will speed up after this~


End file.
